Russian citizen Denis Kulanin, who was convicted in Georgia and later pardoned by the country’s president, will not be returned to Russia. The ruling was issued by the Tbilisi City Court, which fully granted a motion filed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) Migration Department seeking the Russian national’s expulsion from the country.
Under the court’s decision, Kulanin has been granted a 7-day period to voluntarily depart Georgia. He is permitted to choose his destination country independently.
As previously reported, Denis Kulanin was arrested on Rustaveli Avenue on March 28, 2025, on charges of damaging an Interior Ministry vehicle and was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison. On August 28, 2026, President Mikheil Kavelashvili pardoned 226 inmates, including the Russian national. However, all were released except for Kulanin. Under an earlier ruling by the Tbilisi City Court, pending the completion of his expulsion proceedings, he was transferred to the Migration Service’s Temporary Accommodation Center.
On September 1, Kulanin was scheduled to voluntarily leave Georgia for Armenia after his legal counsel submitted his flight ticket, passport, and boarding pass to the court and the Temporary Accommodation Center. However, the Migration Department stated that he could not do so without a court order. Human rights defenders feared that Kulanin might be handed over to Russia, where he would face grave danger.
